EPA Awards $2.4 Million in Brownfields Grants to Cleanup and Revitalize Communities in Mississippi

(Atlanta - May 8, 2013) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it plans to award six communities in Mississippi with brownfield grants for new investments to provide funding necessary to clean and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and create jobs while protecting human health.

“Brownfields sites are community assets and a key component of the Obama Administration’s efforts to provide tools to sustainably revitalize communities and foster economic development,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “Through these grant resources local communities can continue to assess, cleanup and redevelop properties to meet local needs for jobs, housing and recreation while protecting people’s health and the local environment.”

The Mississippi brownfield grant recipients are:

· City of Greenville ($200,00 assessment grant for hazardous substances and $200,000 assessment grant for petroleum)

· City of Moss Point ($200,00 assessment grant for hazardous substances and $200,000 assessment grant for petroleum)

· City of Pascagoula ($200,00 assessment grant for hazardous substances and $200,000 assessment grant for petroleum)

· City of Starkville ($200,00 assessment grant for hazardous substances and $200,000 assessment grant for petroleum)

· City of West Point ($200,00 assessment grant for hazardous substances and $200,000 assessment grant for petroleum)

EPA’s Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize brownfields sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites in the United States. More than 20,000 properties have been assessed, and more than 850 properties have been cleaned up through EPA’s Brownfields program. EPA’s Brownfields investments have also leveraged more than $19 billion in overall cleanup and redevelopment funding from public and private sources. On average $17.79 is leveraged for every EPA Brownfields grant dollar spent. These investments resulted in approximately 87,000 jobs nationwide. When Brownfields are addressed, nearby property values can increase 2-3 percent. A 2011 pilot study indicated Brownfields site redevelopment increases location efficiency, which means that residents live closer to where they work and play reducing their commute times and greenhouse gas emissions. EPA’s preliminary research has also shown that redeveloping Brownfield sites results in an efficient reuse of existing infrastructure and decreasing instances of stormwater runoff. These projects can have a positive impact on community revitalization by leveraging jobs, producing clean energy, and providing recreation opportunities for surrounding neighborhoods.